


The Heart Wants What it Wants

by felicityollies



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Best Friends, Break Up, Cooking, Cooking Lessons, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fake Marriage, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Honeymoon, Light Angst, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-10 18:36:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8928505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicityollies/pseuds/felicityollies
Summary: Felicity gets left at the altar.... luckily her best friend, Oliver, is there by her side. When she decides not to let her honeymoon go to waste and take a vacation, she asks him to join her.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jedichick04](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jedichick04/gifts).



**The Wedding:**

Everything had been set. The venue was perfect. Each bridesmaid were done up and looking exquisite. Family and friends had filled each seat. It was going to be the wedding of Felicity Smoak’s dreams…. until her fiance skipped town.

Oliver leaned against the door to her dressing room. He could hear her sobbing on the other side. All because of her fiance. What a dirtbag. Cooper Seldon deserved a swift kick in the balls and then some. He had never liked the guy, but being Felicity’s best friend he didn’t want to cause any problems. Oliver cared about Felicity so much and he kind of hated himself for letting this happen. He sighed, knowing that none of this was actually his fault, but he hated seeing Felicity like this. Or well, hearing her like this.

“Lis?” he knocked on the door for the third time.

“I told you, I want everyone to leave,” she choked on a sob.

He winced, “Everyone is leaving,” he said, “It’ll just be us soon.”

Sighing, he leaned against the wall again and waited for her to open up. He wished more than anything that he could make things better. She was important to him. They met back in college, though it was only a few years ago it felt like forever and a day. She was already dating Cooper back then. It didn’t matter. It never stopped him from fal-

Let’s not go down that road.

The last time it was this bad it was because the two had a huge fight. They were broken up for two weeks. He could never figure out why they got back together, and now he was really wondering. With another sigh, he rolled his eyes at the thought. College didn’t matter now. Cooper didn’t matter now. All that did matter was Felicity.

The door slowly opened. She reached around, grabbing his arm and tugging him inside.

“Gah,” he almost yelped.

He quieted up when he saw her standing there. The big sparkling ball gown nearly swallowing her, long veil draped around her shoulders, her raven black hair in a perfect updo, and her makeup streaked and ruined with tears.

“Do you know what he said?” she asked, but didn’t give him a chance to reply. “It was basically, Sorry, Feli. I still have manly seeds to sow. Over a text message. A text message! We were going to get married! We dated for years and this… this is what I get?” her voice cracked and she fell into his arms.

Oliver wrapped her arms around her, feeling slightly taken aback by this. They were close friends, like snuggle-on-the-couch-while-watching-a-movie kind of friends, but this was different. He tightened his hold on her and moved his hand up and down her back.

“I’m sorry he’s such a piece of shit,” he muttered.

“It’s not your fault,” she sniffled loudly, “I should have known.”

He shook his head, “It’s not your fault either.”

His heart hurt for her. He couldn’t stand to see his best friend, this strong and amazing woman, falling to pieces. The urge to hunt down Cooper and kick his ass was getting stronger, but he had to focus on Felicity. She sobbed against his chest and he just slowly moved his hand down her back, trying to comfort her. He wasn’t sure how long they stood there like that, but he would have stood with her for hours if it meant she would feel even a little bit better.

When she pulled back, she wiped her face, smearing her makeup more, but obviously not caring a damn bit about it.

“You should take a break,” he said, “Get out of here, relax, and try not to think about Cooper.”

She nodded, “I know. You’re right,” she sucked in a deep breath, “I should just use our freaking honeymoon myself,” she gave a bitter laugh.

“You could,” he sighed.

“I don’t want to go alone,” she sniffled again.

He watched her and realized that she was getting an idea. It was the look in her eyes. Hard to miss if you didn’t know her very well, but he could see it.

“You should come with me,” she said, getting excited.

“Wh-what?” he nearly choked on his own spit.

“Oliver, you’re my best friend… and the only person I can stand to see right now,” she jutted out her lower lip in that way that always made his insides melt. She was just so damn cute.

How could he say no to her? She was hurting and needed a break. If she wanted to spend that break with him, then who was he to argue?

“Alright,” he mumbled.

“Good,” she sniffed again, “Meet me at the airport at eight tonight, okay?”

“Eight tonight. Got it.”

“Pack for a warmer climate.”

“Oh, okay.”

Felicity flung her arms around him again and hugged tightly. “Thank you.”

* * *

**The Airport:**

Oliver had nearly seven hours to fuck around before he had to meet Felicity. He wondered what she was doing, but he knew it was better not to ask. It was best to just let her do whatever the hell she was going to do. He was actually surprised that she even asked him to come with her. First of all, she was the kind of person who wanted to be alone when she was sad. Second, he was just startled to be going on Felicity’s honeymoon with her. He was trying not to let his mind wander places but it was difficult. His feelings for Felicity were deep and real. All he wanted was to see her happy and if that was with him, then it would be that much better. But he didn’t see that happening. Definitely not now with the way things ended with Cooper. How could he expect her to want to jump into another relationship, let alone one with him? He was pretty sure that she thought of him as a brother anyway.

He sighed and kicked at the ground in the airport. The afternoon was spent packing for the most part and getting his work in order. He thought Felicity was way more important than a few unpaid vacation days. Though, he had to admit he was curious as to where they were going. He was pretty sure that the original honeymoon plan was for some place cold. Cuddling and fireplaces and all kinds of things that he didn’t want to think about. Now they were going someplace warm.

He checked his watch and looked up to see if she had arrived yet. His eyes moved past a small blonde with glasses and looked right to the door. A second later his gaze flicked back to the blonde who was waving. He whipped his head around, seeing that no one was near him he turned his head towards her again.

“Oliver, did you not see me?” It was Felicity.

“Holy shit,” he said.

When he met her, she had been going through a goth thing. Pale makeup, colored streaks in her hair, and punked out clothing. After college, she dropped the goth look, but kept her natural hair color. This… this was a look he never expected to see on Felicity. Blonde hair tugged into a tight ponytail, glasses on her face, and clothing that pulled the nerdy look together; short skirt, sweater, and heels. Her legs looked fantastic. Not that he was looking.

“What happened?”

Felicity scowled at him and gently hit his arm, “That’s not something someone wants to hear after a trip to the salon.”

“Sorry, you look good, I’m just… why?” he asked, his eyes still moving over her.

“I needed a change. I needed to breathe. Maybe it was drastic, but…. so is leaving your fiancee at the altar,” she swallowed and shook her head.

He blinked a couple times, but nodded.

“I never understood why so many people get haircuts after a breakup… but now I get it. It’s like a fresh start, getting rid of the old and trying something new,” she looked up into his eyes.

“Whatever you need to get you through this,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulders, “And if you need anything from me, I’m right here.”

“God, you’re perfect,” she sighed.

He laughed and shook his head, “Not even close.”

She rolled her eyes, “Whatever,” she said, “Let’s get the hell outta here.” 

“Where are we going?”

“I traded in the Swiss Alps tickets for Bali,” she tugged her suitcase, letting it roll behind her as she led the way towards their terminal.

“Bali? Isn’t that a little….”

“Expensive? It’s Cooper’s credit card,” she practically beamed.

He let out a small chuckle; he couldn’t blame her for wanting to use his money.

“They only had honeymoon suites available by the way,” she said so quietly that he didn’t quite catch it.

“What?”

“I uh… I said it’s going to be so much fun.”

“Oh, yeah it will be.”

He thought she looked kind of guilty, but maybe it had to do with the money. They walked up to the terminal and were immediately able to board. Felicity showed the tickets and the woman behind the podium smiled at them both.

“Mr. Queen, Mrs. Smoak, on your honeymoon?” she asked sweetly.

Before Oliver had a chance to speak, Felicity opened her mouth and said, “Yes,” she wrapped her arm around his.

“We actually have an upgrade available,” she said.

“An upgrade?” Oliver asked.

“Yes, we had a last minute cancellation, so we have first class seats available for the happy couple.”

“We’ll take it,” Felicity again spoke without giving Oliver a chance.

“Perfect, I’ll have someone seat you,” she gave an unnervingly perfect and happy smile.

They didn’t have to wait long for someone to come get them and lead them to their new seats. His head was spinning. He couldn’t believe that Felicity had blatantly lied like that, but he did have a feeling it had something to do with the perks involved. It had nothing to do with him, which he would admit was very disappointing.

He was there for her and he was going to suck it up, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t question her a little. When they reached their seats, though, he found it hard to want to question her. They had so much space that was just for the two of them. Wide and comfortable looking seats, two large television screens, and he could already see that they would be able to recline back into something similar to the bed.

Their suitcases were put into the carry on compartment for them, so they could get comfortable in their seats.

As soon as the flight attendant left, he turned towards Felicity, “Lis, what are you doing?”

She cringed. “I know I know,” she kept her voice low, “The resort and spa only had honeymoon suites and packages available, so….” she shrugged innocently, “You can’t deny that the perks so far are nice.”

He sighed at her, “They are nice, but are you sure we should be doing this?” _I only ask because I have feelings for you and I don’t know how much playing house with you I can do._

“It’ll be fine, you’re my best friend.”

He held in another sigh, “I know.”

A pout formed on her lips.

The one thing he didn’t want was for his crush… feelings, whatever they were to ruin what they did have. It wasn’t fair to her to do that.

“You’re my best friend too, Lis.”

She smiled that time. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his cheek. He swore he felt his cheeks burning, but god he didn’t want to look like a blushing school boy in front of her. It was in that moment that he knew he was really screwed.

* * *

  
**The Flight and Touch Down:**

Felicity let out a shaky breath as she watched Oliver sleep. She had no idea what she was doing. All she wanted was to forget about Cooper, but was this really the best way? She had already decided that she was not going to spend the rest of her days crying. It was too draining. She was sad, yes, but she didn’t want to focus on that. Cooper was a jerk and she should have realized it sooner. Maybe a part of her was a little relieved? It was terrible to say that, but it was true. Maybe she didn’t have her whole heart in it anymore either. She shouldn’t be thinking this way; she was barely coming off of the breakup and didn’t know where her heart was at.

Whatever. She was going to enjoy her honeymoon with Oliver. Well, it wasn’t their honeymoon together-together, but again whatever. Three - four days of tropical bliss in Bali. How could that possibly go wrong?

Her gaze dragged over Oliver. He was sleeping so peacefully. She reached over and gently touched his hand. So warm and rough, but she knew the gentleness he had. He twitched in his sleep and wrapped his hand around hers. She squeezed, smiling as he let out a content hum. He was so sweet and calm. She did love him. He was her best friend and had been there for her for the last several years. She’d never let her mind wonder about possibilities beyond friendship because she had always been with Cooper. Well, there was that two weeks when she was broken up with him in college, but she still didn’t pursue anything. It wouldn’t have been fair to Oliver because it was most likely rebound feelings. Not that she thought he had any kind of feelings for her. He probably didn’t see her as anything other than a friend or a sister.

Still, there was something about Oliver. He always made her happy, he actually listened to her when she was talking, and seemed interesting. They could spend their days doing anything and everything or nothing at all, but still be content with each other’s company. She knew deep down that it was something she never had with Cooper. Maybe she was settling with him because that’s all she ever thought she would get, but….

Sighing again, she shook her head. Too many thoughts. She needed to quiet her brain for once and get some sleep. Her eyes fluttered shut, but as she fell asleep she neglected to pull her hand away from Oliver’s.

The rest of the seventeen hour flight was nice. They were fed extravagant meals, extravagant for airplane food that is. She and Oliver played card games, watched movies, or simply enjoyed each other’s company. To her it was a sign that the next several days were going to be just fine. The place they were going, Kayumanis Jimbaran Private Estate & Spa, was amazing. Just looking at the pictures online had gotten her excited. It was extremely romantic and secluded, but they would deal with it. There was no reason any of them had to make it weird, right?

They stepped off the plane, feeling tired and warm. The temperature outside was only in the sixties, but it was a balmy sixty-something. Felicity was ready to shower, wash away the long flight, and crawl into bed. Their ride from the airport to the resort was a long one too, but not too much to handle.

“Ready?” she asked, looking up at Oliver.

“To sleep? Yes,” he chuckled.

Even though they napped on the plane, it was never the most restful sleep.

When they arrived at the resort, they were immediately met with two people, carrying white cloths. They leaned down, so that the staff could wrap them around their necks.

“Oh, that’s nice,” she mumbled.

The cloths were chilled and slightly damp, which felt amazing against her warm skin. Their suitcases were taken from them and then they were shown towards their private villa. A woman explained to them that they had a twenty-four hour butler service as well as access to the front desk. She also let them know that they would be having a floating dinner the next day.

“Thank you so much,” Felicity beamed.

“Enjoy your stay,” the woman said with the brightest smile.

“Wow,” Oliver said, “What’s a floating dinner, though?”

“Uh…” she bit down on her lip, “They fill the pool with rose petals and floating candles and there’s a floating platform where we eat dinner and listen to music. And I am so sorry you have to do all this romantic stuff with me.”

He seemed very taken aback. “Oh.”

_Oh god he’s going to hate me by the end of this._

“I’m sorry,” she sighed heavily. “I shouldn’t have asked you to come with me.”

“No, it’s okay,” he gave her a reassuring smile, “It’ll be fine.”

She let out a breath and nodded.

They entered the villa, both jaws hit the floor. The pictures on the website didn’t do the place justice. A private pool, three buildings that housed their bedroom, living spaces, and open air bathroom. They had so much space to enjoy the cooling weather and just each other.

“Wow,” Oliver said again.

“Yeah…” she shook her head, trying not to stare even more. “I’m going to take a shower and then you can if you want.”

He nodded.

Felicity walked into the bathroom, although really how it was still called a bathroom was beyond her. Open-air rooms were new to her. Not really anything that constituted as a well around her, but somehow it was still very private. She was able to strip out of her clothes without feeling like she was exposing herself to the world. Her eyes moved over her nude reflection in the mirror. Frazzled blonde hair, glasses just slightly askew, and sadness that seemed to be etched into her features. No. She wasn’t going to let herself be sad; she was done with the feeling. Done with thinking about Cooper. So, what if it had only been a day? It was her life and she was going to take control of it.

She stood in the shower, letting the last couple of days to wash away. The warm water soothed her sore body and melted into her muscles.

“Fuck, Cooper,” she muttered to herself.

Fuck him. Fuck the years she spent with him. Fuck everything they never were. It was all a bullshit lie. Why did she let herself think they were even a good pair? Why did she see past all of his flaws and all their relationship’s flaws? He didn’t listen to her. Never seemed interested in what she wanted to do or even her work. Why was she going to let herself marry him? Fuck. She needed to stop thinking about it, but once she started she couldn’t stop. Everything that she had worked on for the past several years was a waste and now she couldn’t help but wonder what things she’d been missing out on too.

“Felicity?” Oliver’s voice punctured her thoughts.

She let out a shaky breath, “Yeah?”

“Just checking on you… you’re not usually so quiet.”

She snorted, “Well, thanks.”

“You know what I mean!” he shouted back, “The last time I was at your place while you were showering I swear you sang an entire top 40 playlist.”

“I did not!”

“You did,” he laughed.

A genuine smile pulled at her lips, making her cheeks start to hurt, but god she appreciated it. Oliver always managed to make her feel better. She shook that thought away and finished up her shower.

Wrapping herself in her towel, she stepped out into the bedroom where he was waiting. She noticed that he looked over her quickly, but she kept her mouth shut about it.

“I don’t think I’m used to your hair yet,” he said.

“You’ll have to because I’m not going back,” she stated.

He looked at the top of her head and nodded. “I’m not used to it, but I do like it.”

“Good.”

He disappeared into the bathroom and she went to get dried off and dressed. She slipped into a pair of silk pajamas, a pair of shorts and a camisole top, and brushed back her hair into a braid. As she sat on the bed to turn on the television it was then that she realized she didn’t have her glasses on. She bit down onto her lip and eyed the bathroom door.

“Just really quick… he won’t even notice,” she nodded to herself and crept to the bathroom.

Slowly, she opened it up and when she didn’t hear yelling, she stepped in further. She swiped her glasses off the counter, but she couldn’t stop herself from stealing a glance at Oliver. He had his back turned to her, the water cascading down his broad shoulders, and his ass.

_Oh my god I’m looking at my best friend’s ass, his naked ass, fuck me this is wrong._

He had such a nice butt. That didn’t mean she could stand there all night watching him. Jesus Christ. She slipped out of the bathroom and retreated to the bed. Oh, she was such a bad person. Why did she do that? She had no right to be watching him like that. The only answer that she could see, was that she was angry at Cooper, and doing crazy things. She was only thinking about Oliver in non-platonic ways because she was upset and angry. Yep.

When he came out wrapped in his towel, she swallowed back a squeak. She had always found him attractive, that was nothing new. How could she not? He was this walking demi-god or something. Muscled, tan, and handsome.

“If you keep staring like that I can’t get dressed,” Oliver said.

“Well, you could,” she said without thinking, “What I meant to say was that… I’m not staring and I’m turning around right now. And I’m going to stop talking…. right now.”

Her cheeks were burning as she turned, so that her back was facing him. She was being ridiculous right now. Utterly ridiculous.

“It’s okay,” Oliver said, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“You’re fine,” she reassured him.

“You can turn now.”

Felicity slowly turned around. He was in his pajamas; flannel pants and a t-shirt.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“Lis, it’s okay, I was just teasing.”

She relaxed a little, “Okay.”

“You should get some rest. You need it,” he leaned over and kissed her forehead gently.

When he pulled back he turned towards the couch.

“Wait, where are you going?” she asked.

“The couch?”

“Get into bed,” she pointed at the very wide king sized bed.

“Are you sure?”

She knew she should probably let him go to the couch, but she didn’t think it was fair for her to get the huge bed while he, the six foot tall person, got the tiny couch.

“We can share. It’s not like it’s weird or something.”

He shook his head and smiled. “Not weird at all.”

The lights went out and he crawled into bed beside her. She never actually got the t.v on, but now it didn’t matter. Her eyes were starting to feel heavy and the emotion from everything was overtaking her. She put her glasses on the bedside table and rolled over to face Oliver.

“Thank you again,” she said quietly.

“Felicity,” he said, “You never have to thank me.”

She smiled before giving a soft yawn. “Good night.”

“Good night,” he whispered. “Sleep tight.”

* * *

**Day One:**

Oliver woke the next morning to find Felicity snuggled into his arms. He didn’t know how she ended up there, considering that she was on the other side of the bed when they went to sleep. He couldn’t bring himself to care much about it. The sunlight was slowly streaming in, catching her hair in just the right way, making it look even more golden than it was before. He let out a soft breath as he looked at her. The light touched her face, her freckles, making them even more prominent. When he first met her he had no idea those adorable freckles hid under her pale makeup. It wasn’t until much later that he accidentally caught her without makeup and those perfect freckles came to light. He’d loved them from that moment.

He loved her. Okay, there he admitted it. No beating around the bush, he was in love with his best friend. He didn’t know when it happened or why, but he couldn’t get her out of his head. It didn’t matter how many other people he tried dating or just taking to bed, Felicity Smoak had a tight hold on his heart. He didn’t know why it had to be this way. He and Felicity together didn’t even seem to be in the realm of possibility, but he would take what he could get. Like right now when she was fast asleep in his arms. And maybe like yesterday when she came into the bathroom and he knew she was there, but didn’t say anything. It felt good to have her attention even if was just because of his body.

God, he was a terrible person. He needed to let it go and let her be. All he wanted was to see her happy and to be respectful of her. _She was the one staring._ But he didn’t want to even entertain the thought of what it could mean. That was a road he knew would only lead to pain.

“Lis,” he whispered.

“Mmm?” she snuggled into his chest, making his heart clench.

He closed his eyes for a moment and swallowed thickly, “Time to wake up.”

“No,” she whined.

He chuckled; she was so cute in the morning, “We can have our butler bring breakfast.”

“Mmm breakfast,” she finally started to pull back and looked up at him. Her eyes went wide when she realized that they were snuggling, “Oh my god. I’m sorry,” she squeaked, scrambling away from him, “I’m just all kinds of rude invading your personal bubble and staring at you… I mean I wasn’t staring last night, but you thought I was.”

“Hey,” he said in a soft voice.

She stopped and looked at him.

“It’s okay,” he climbed out of bed, “I told you I’m here for whatever you need.”

Felicity let out a long sigh and stepped towards him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. “You’re too good to me.”

“No way,” he said, hugging her back. “You deserve the world and then some.”

She relaxed against him. He had to hold in a sigh; he just felt so content with her in his arms.

“So, breakfast?” he asked.

She pulled back and nodded, “Of course.”

Felicity called up their butler and asked for breakfast. It didn’t take very long for a large tray of food, various fruit juices, and coffee. The butler explained what the dishes were before leaving them to eat. Oliver opted for something called Katupat Kandangan. It was fish, thick coconut milk, and rice. The food looked really simple, but it also smelled delicious. They sat together on the couch. She went for the coffee first thing.

“Oh god,” she moaned, startling Oliver just slightly, “This smells so good.” She breathed in the coffee before taking a large sip. “This is the freshest coffee I have ever tasted in my entire life.”

He chuckled just because she was so damn cute.

Shaking his head, he took a bite of the food. “Mmm,” he gave his own moan. He swallowed before adding, “You have to try this.”

She leaned towards him with her mouth open. He didn’t even hesitate to scoop up a bite and feed it to her.

“Holy crap,” she said with her mouth full of food.

“I know,” he smiled wide.

They ate, they laughed, they enjoyed each other’s company to the fullest, and Oliver again wondered why it was so easy to be with her like this. Yes, she was his best friend and it had always been like this, but why couldn’t it be more? He didn’t want to tell her. It didn’t seem fair to put all that on her when she was struggling with her love life. She didn’t need that shit right now. She didn’t need that shit ever.

Whatever. He shook his thoughts away. It has been nearly six years since they had met and he could survive the many more years they had ahead of them.

Hours passed and they found themselves in the private pool with bottles of champagne. That’s right, bottles. He wasn’t sure how many glasses Felicity had had, but he wasn’t going to stop her. She was getting giggly, that was for sure, but it wasn’t a big deal.

“Remember that time that there was a freak snowstorm and we all got stuck on campus… and you and Cooper were holed up in my dorm room with Iris,” she laughed into her champagne flute, “Cooper was so mad because all he wanted to do was have sex,” she snorted and took another glass.

“Yeah… that was a great… great time,” Oliver took a large gulp of his own champagne.

He told himself not to get upset. It was stupid.

“I hate him,” Felicity said suddenly, “He’s a complete ass,” she stared down at her empty glass and sank lower into the water.

Oliver set his glass aside. “It’s okay,” he muttered quietly.

“No, it’s not,” she sniffled, “I wasted so much time with him. I loved him, but he was a jerk,” she set her own glass aside and sniffled again. “I shoulda been with someone nicer. Someone that actually paid attention to me,” her words slurred together.

His heart thudded loudly in his chest.

“Someone like you,” she looked up at him with those big, sad, blue eyes.

Suddenly her hand was on his bare chest and she was leaning up towards him. What was happening? Did she really mean what she was saying or was she just drunk? She placed her lips against his, kissing gently. He couldn’t do anything, but kiss her back. The amount of times he had imagined pressing his lips to hers in a sweet, passionate embrace. Her lips were as soft as he imagined and they tasted of sweetness and champagne. Before things could go any further, though, he pulled back. He couldn’t in good conscious let this happen. Not this way. He wanted her, but she was drunk and he would feel like he was taking advantage of her.

“I can’t,” he said.

“Wh-what?” she asked.

“Not like this,” he sighed.

“You don’t want me?” her lip trembled, “I saw the way you looked at me… in the towel… and when I put on this stupid bikini.”

“Lis,” he sighed again.

“No, don’t Lis me,” she climbed out of the pool.

He quickly followed her. “It’s not that I don’t want you,” he said, his heart jumping into his throat, “But I can’t do this.”

“Tell me why,” she turned to look at him.

He let out a shaky breath. This was not good. Not good at all. He couldn’t just admit that he was in love with her. Not when she was drunk off her ass right now. But she was looking at him so expectantly.

“I love you,” he whispered.

She stared at him for a long moment, swallowing as she watched.

“I need some air, Lis,” he said before she could actually say anything.

She opened her mouth to speak, but instead bent over and lost the entire contents of her stomach onto the floor, narrowly missing Oliver’s toes.

He sighed, “I’m going to call someone and you need to get into bed.”

“But,” she started, but he cut her off.

“Bed.”

He made sure she got into bed before calling the front desk about the mess and something for his loving wife’s stomach. With one last glance to her in bed, he tugged on a t-shirt over his wet body, and slipped on a pair of sandals. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but he knew he needed some distance from her.

This was stupid, very fucking stupid. He shouldn’t have said it. Now, he was probably going to end up leaving early. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, which he totally had just now. She freaking puked in front of him. Okay, that was probably mostly because of the alcohol, but it still wasn’t the greatest response to i love you.

He wandered around the resort for awhile, not even sure about how much time had passed. By the time he got back to their villa, the room was cleaned up, Felicity was asleep, and there was a large, half drunken bottle of ginger ale by the bed. He ordered himself some food and left enough for Felicity if she woke hungry. But then he opted for a shower and curling up on the couch to sleep.

* * *

**Day Two:**

Felicity woke in the early hours of the morning. She rolled over, letting her eyes adjust before flicking on the lamp beside her bed. Slowly, she sat up. There was a bitter acrid taste still in her mouth, a not so subtle reminder of what she did the previous day. She was such an idiot, letting herself get drunk and then throwing herself at Oliver. Poor Oliver. She felt like a total ass as well. He didn’t deserve that and god what he said to her. It made the mess of emotions she had at the moment that much more confusing. It also made her think back on all the time they spent with each other. Happy times together. Times when Oliver went out of his way to make sure she was okay and feeling well. She did the same for him because she loved him too, but was it a platonic love? With fresh wounds and a broken heart, it was hard to separate her emotions. It was just too confusing.

What she needed to do was get cleaned up, brush her teeth, and change clothes. Then probably eat something… and apologize to Oliver. She wasn’t sure how to go about that because just saying, “I’m sorry,” didn’t seem like enough. He lay there on the couch, softly snoring, and she felt even worse that he ended up curled up on the loveseat. The fact that he didn’t even feel comfortable enough to sleep with her. _Next to her._

With a heavy sigh, she pushed herself up and went to get cleaned up. She took her time in the shower and took extra care with her teeth. It was just a way to prolong the inevitable. When she peaked into the living area, she saw that Oliver was still asleep. This time with a little more haste she got her clothes on and called their butler. First, she apologized for the mess the previous day. Second, she ordered some breakfast because the food left over from yesterday was cold. And third, she asked about a certain activity that she thought Oliver might enjoy. She hadn’t originally planned to do it, simply because it was something she sucked at, but she really wanted to apologize to him.

By the time she was off the phone Oliver was waking up.

“Morning,” he said softly.

“Morning,” she replied.

He ran his fingers through his short hair, “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

The awkward tension between them was thick enough to cut. They were both quiet and it was making her want to squirm.

“Breakfast?” he asked.

She simply nodded; she couldn’t seem to form any words which just made it that much worse. They stayed like that, sitting in the living room a few feet apart and staring at the ground. This was not how she wanted to start the morning. When the food arrived, it didn’t get any better; silent eating and awkward hand touches when they both reached for something.

She needed to say something, anything, but no words would come. What was wrong with her? She sucked in a deep breath and finally opened her mouth to speak, “I…”

“I think I should leave,” Oliver said before she could even start.

“Wh-what?” she stammered.

“I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

Her throat started to tighten. The thought of him leaving made her chest ache. “Don’t,” she pleaded.

He looked her in the eyes. “I shouldn’t have put that on you.”

“Stop,” she sniffed, “I don’t want you to leave. I just… I shouldn’t have said those things either. I shouldn’t have thrown myself at you…. all drunk and desperate.”

He looked down again.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I care about you Oliver. You’re my best friend. You’re more than that, you’re…. I don’t know,” she wiped at her face, “All I know is that I need you. I love you.”

He slowly tilted his head up. “I don’t want you to say it just because I said it.”

“I’m not! I’m not!” she stood up and gave a frustrated sigh, “I don’t know what I’m feeling right now, but I know that I love you. I’ve always loved you, Oliver. Just… my head is a mess… Cooper… and you… and everything else,” she felt fresh tears rolling down her cheeks before she could do anything about it. “I know you don’t need any of this shit piled on you, but Oliver please… please don’t leave.”

He was up and standing in front of her, “Hey,” he put his hand on her shoulders and she visibly relaxed, “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be…”

He cut her off, “Lis, you’re the most important person in the world to me. I don’t want to lose you...I just thought you needed space.”

She swallowed, shaking her head.

“I love you and that’s not going to change.”

“I just need to figure things out.”

“I’m not asking you to,” he sighed and squeezed her shoulders. “I never want you to feel pressured by me.”

She looked up into his eyes and saw nothing, but sincerity. Why was he so good to her?

“I know you’re not asking me to, but I want to figure things out,” she sniffled.

“Okay,” he moved his hands up, cupping her face gently and pressing the softest kiss to her forehead. “Take all the time you need,” he whispered.

She wiped her face as he pulled away. There was no way of telling how long it was going to take her to figure things out, but she really wanted to. She wanted to sort her feelings and not jump into something. If she did that and Oliver got hurt, she would never forgive herself. All she knew for sure was that she loved Oliver, deeply, couldn’t bare the thought of losing him, and just wanted to spend more time with him. Maybe she already knew what she wanted, but… she never wanted Oliver to feel like he was the rebound guy or something. She knew that he worried about it. The look on his face when he told her not to say it back if she didn’t mean it.

“Can we stay in today?” she asked quietly.

“Of course,” he said.

“I have plans for us tomorrow, though,” she sniffed one last time.

“Plans?”

“Mhmmm.”

“Gonna tell me what they are?” he gave the smallest chuckle.

“Nope,” she cracked a small smile, “It’s a surprise.”

Oliver sat on the couch and patted the seat beside him. She moved to take the spot, careful not to get too close, not wanting to invade his personal bubble again.

“Don’t worry so much,” he said in that soft, sweet tone that always made her calm.

She sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head against him. “I just don’t want to screw things up with you, Oliver,” she said honestly, “I meant what I said when I said I love you. It’s just… complicated, you know?”

His hand moved across her arm gently. “I know… that’s why I wasn’t going to tell you. Your relationship just ended and I don’t want you to jump at anything without giving yourself time to heal.”

“Why are you so perfect?” she whined.

He laughed and hugged her tight. “I’m not.”

She sighed. “I guess that’s true…. you fart in your sleep,” she peaked an eye open at him.

“Well…. so do you,” he said.

She leaned back all the way, mouth wide and gaping at him. “I do not!”

“You do,” he smiled and it was a real, genuine smile.

She smacked his chest gently. “Jerk,” she mumbled.

“What happened to perfect?” he teased.

She rolled her eyes and leaned into him again. Whatever this was, whatever they had, and whatever they could have was something she wanted to explore. Yes, her head was a mess and yes she probably shouldn’t even be entertaining the idea of them as a thing, but every time she said those words to him, “I love you,” and watched his face; they way his eyes shone, it was something she couldn’t describe. But it was something she wanted to bottle and keep forever. Jumping from one person to another was reckless in regards to both their hearts, but what if it was okay? She wrapped her arm around Oliver and let out the softest sigh.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said softly.

And for a moment she really believed it was.

* * *

**Day Three:**

Oliver felt like his world had gone and done a 180. He didn’t know what to think about everything Felicity said to him. Of course, he believed her. It was all just so much. Too many emotions in not enough days. A part of him wanted to say fuck it and let her do what she was going to do. If that meant being with him then that’s what he was going with. If she chose to wait or to not be with him… well then he would deal with it because she was still his friend.

He let out a soft sigh and looked down at her. She was snuggled up in his arms again, but like before he couldn’t bring himself to complain. Her back was pressed into his chest, his arm wrapped around her stomach, and his nose gently nuzzled into her hair. She smelled like a pina colada, sweet fruits and coconut. His fingers gently brushed across her bare stomach; her shirt had lifted just slightly. Her skin was so soft under his rough touch.

She giggled.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

“When have you ever actually been sorry for tickling me?” she asked.

He chuckled, “Hey, it’s been a long time since I tickled you…. on purpose.”

“Mhmm.”

He shook his head and pulled back. She practically whined at the loss of contact between them. “C’mon, you know we need to get up. Plus you said there was a surprise today.”

“I did,” she seemed to perk up more.

They got out of bed and got ready for the day. Breakfast, showers, and fresh clothes before Felicity was dragging him out the door.

“So, what are we doing?” he asked.

“You’ll see.”

He had to admit that he was both excited and nervous about what she had planned for them that day. She knew him very well, probably better than most of the people in his life, so whatever it was couldn’t be too horrible.

They walked into the lobby where a man was waiting for them. He introduced himself as the chef of the private resort.

“We’re going to get a cooking lesson,” Felicity said with the widest smile. 

Oliver returned her smile with one of his own. He loved food and loved cooking, he would be a terrible chef himself if he didn’t. “Woah,” he barely managed to say.

The chef explained that they would go into the market, have a tour of all the different venders and foods, and then shop for ingredients that he would then teach them how to cook. Oh yes, Oliver was going to enjoy this. He was always happy to learn new things and try new foods. This was like heaven to him.

“Thank you,” he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug. 

“Such a happy couple,” the chef laughed.

“Extremely,” Felicity kissed his cheek.

She pulled away from him, but immediately took his hand. It was then that the chef started to walk them towards the market. He started to ask them questions, simply and friendly questions, but Oliver let Felicity do the talking.

“We met in college,” she squeezed his hand, “I was studying computers and he culinary arts.”

“Ah another chef!”

Oliver nodded and smiled.

The other man told him to feed his wife and future family well to which he responded, “Of course.”

It was almost too easy to play married with Felicity. Holding her hand and talking about the future with a man they had just met. A kind man, who had a sweet story about his own family to tell. He had a wife and two kids at home and as he was talking about his own family he again told Oliver to take care of his own.

“I wouldn’t dream of not taking care of my family,” he wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Felicity leaned into him, letting out a content sigh. For a moment he worried that he had overstepped, but what he said he meant. She was his best friend, the person he loved, and his family; she was everything to him.

When they arrived at the market, they were shown around and taught about the most interesting foods and the dishes they could make. His gaze kept falling on Felicity. She was so excited about all of the food, not cooking it, but getting to eat it. The only thing that she ever seemed to be able to cook was, well anything from the freezer section, but her specialties were dinosaur nuggets and pigs in a blanket.

The smile on her face as she picked out ingredients made his heart soar. This surprise was for him and he was fully enjoying it, but he was really enjoying the sight of a happy Felicity.

“You gonna stare at me all afternoon or you gonna pick out some food?” she asked.

“Is the first an option?” he asked.

A bright blush formed on her cheeks. “Oh stop that,” she giggled.

“Can’t help it,” he said, leaning down to kiss her blushing cheeks, “I have the most beautiful wife.”

If it was possible her cheeks were even more pink now. “You’re too much.”

Maybe he was, but he really couldn’t help himself.

They picked their ingredients and took them back to the villa where the chef began to teach them how to cook their meal right in their room. It was incredible to watch the man work, chopping, flipping, and giving them the most amazing example. Then it was their turn to try. The chef slid some vegetables towards Felicity to chop. Oliver came up behind her, sliding his hand over hers to help her cut. Gently up and down they moved the knife together. They did this for the meat as well, before turning to the broth. The dish they decided to make was Bakso, meatballs in a chicken broth with noodles and fried veggies.

“If you weren’t here I would have cut myself for sure,” Felicity said with a laugh.

“I would never let you cut your fingers.”

She giggled again.

It actually didn’t take them very long to get everything together. The finale touch was some sambal. Oliver could see how hot it was without even tasting it. He did like spicy food, but he couldn’t help but worry a little. There was a vast difference between American spicy and the spicy in other cultures. He wasn’t about to be a weenie about it, though.

When the food was finished, the chef gave them well wishes before he left the two alone to enjoy their meal.

“Ready?” he asked, lifting his spoon.

Felicity did the same and nodded, “Yep.”

At the same time they both took a large bite. Oliver chewed slowly, savoring all the flavors currently on his tongue. He could feel the spice burning, but it was also so flavorful.

“Mmm,” she moaned, “This is so good.”

“It really is,” he dug in for another bite.

“I can’t believe we made this,” she licked her lips.

The next few minutes were relatively silent because they were too busy shoveling food into their faces. It was just too good.

Oliver and Felicity migrated away from the table and collapsed onto the bed. Their stomachs too full for them to want to move.

“That was awesome,” he muttered, turning his head towards hers.

“The food or the cooking lesson?”

“Yes,” he laughed.

“Good,” she smiled, “The cooking lesson was my apology for…”

“You don’t have to apologize,” he said.

“I do,” she whined.

“Hey, at least you didn’t actually puke on me.”

Felicity shook her head. “You’re terrible.”

“I know,” he reached over and grabbed her hand. “But I mean it. You don’t have to apologize. It’s over and done with. I just want to spend time with you now.”

“Okay,” she squeezed his hand.

“I didn’t do too much today, did I?” he asked a few moments later.

“No,” she smiled, “It was all very… nice.”

“Okay, good.”

He watched her for another moment. Sometimes, she still made him nervous. When he first met her he had been so intimidated and really he still was.

“Can I ask you something?” he mumbled quietly.

“Sure.”

“If you… had feelings for me…. if you were unhappy with Cooper… why did you stay?”

Her gaze dropped away from him for a moment. He worried that he pressed too much, but he really wanted to know. They could have gotten together years ago if she had left him, so he wanted to know why.

“Because I did love him…. once upon a time,” she started to say, “When we first got together… before I met you it was good. At least my eighteen year old self thought so,” she sighed. Shaking her head, she continued, “Part of me was waiting for it to go back to that. Part of me didn’t think I would have another option if I left him,” her eyes moved up to meet his, “I knew my heart wasn’t in it anymore, but I wasn’t willing to admit it out loud. I loved you so much, but I didn’t think…. I never would have imagined you felt the same way. I guess I’m a little blind, huh?”

“Maybe a little,” he mumbled.

She smiled and shook her head again. “I know I complained a lot about Cooper, but we still had good days. I thought that was enough.”

He didn’t understand why she thought she had to settle. She was the most amazing person in the world and she deserved to have a happy life.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m sorry that you felt that way, but Felicity you deserve so much more than that.”

He looked into her eyes and let out a shaky breath. Tears were welling up in her eyes again. He reached up, cupping her cheek. She turned her head into his hand and sniffled.

“I thought I would be happy, but now… I can’t believe I was going to marry him.”

“It’s okay,” he wiped away a stray tear with his thumb.

She sniffled again. “I need to be done crying. This is enough,” she smiled at him.

He gave a soft chuckle. “There’s no shame in tears,” he said, “Just means you’re human.”

“Damn I always wanted to be an alien,” she laughed loud, completely shattering the tension and bring levity back.

But he knew better. “You don’t have to be funny with me,” he said.

She always made jokes when she was hurting the most. He let it slide a couple times already, but he really wanted her to talk to him.

She sighed and turned her head a little more to kiss his palm. “I know.”

Felicity moved out of his grasp and gently scooted towards him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She looked up at hime with those big beautiful baby blues and he had to hold in a sigh. His heart ached every time he saw such sadness in her eyes.

“It’s going to be okay with time,” he promised.

She nodded. “I hope so.”

A heartbeat of a moment passed when she started to lean into him. Her lips pressed to his, but he hesitated just slightly. He knew this was different than last time. Emotions were high, yes, but she wasn’t drunk. She knew what she wanted and if this was it then who the hell was he to say no? He kissed her back, slowly and sweetly, melting into her lips. This kiss was so much different than their first. He could feel how much she wanted him, how much she needed him, and that it was all her. Nothing spurring her on other than her own free will and emotions. It was more than he could ask for.

* * *

**Going Home:**

Oliver looked over to Felicity. She had her nose buried in a book. He didn’t blame her, the flight had been a long one just like the previous flight to Bali. Now, though, they were heading home. It was almost bittersweet. He loved the time he spent with Felicity. They had so much fun together despite the things that happened. He was glad everything got put out there on the table. But it was time to go back to their lives. The closer they got to landing, the more Bali seemed like a dream. A wonderful dream where he got to see Felicity as he always wanted to. As more than his best friend. No decisions were made, but he wasn’t expecting that. He was just happy to have those sweet few moments with her.

Nothing had changed, but at the same time… everything had changed. All he knew was that they would always have Bali.

The plane neared the Starling airport and everyone got ready to land. He held her hand not because either of them were scared, but because he wanted to hold onto these last few minutes before they stepped off the plane and hit the real world. She would go back to her computer repair company and he would go back to the restaurant. Felicity was going to sell her condo and he was going back to his small apartment. Life would move on the way it always had.

They stepped off the plane together and headed inside the airport. Both of them had their bags ready in hand. Like the gentleman he was, he walked with her through the airport and towards the entrance where they would catch a cab. He hailed a taxi for her and opened up the door.

“Thank you for asking me to come with you,” he said.

“Thank you for coming with me,” she smiled up at him.

He returned the smile and stepped backwards to let her clothes the door. His eyes followed the cab as it pulled away from the curb. He only watched it for a few moments before turning his gaze away. His heart was heavy, but he couldn’t blame her.

He kicked the ground and gave a soft sigh, not able to bring himself to leave just yet.

“Oliver?”

He looked up at the sound of his name being called.

“I came back… the cab driver is really pissed because I’m totally wasting his time, but you know this was important. I was thinking and thinking and thinking and I just wanted to ask you something.”

Felicity’s rambling managed to pull the widest smile from his lips.

“Oliver,” she said standing in front of him, “Will you go out with me?”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope everyone enjoyed this and happy holidays!


End file.
